Category Archives: Growth Town

How long does it take to learn a new skill? Not as long as you probably think.

Most people have heard of the “10,000 hour rule” – popularized by Malcolm Gladwell in the book Outliers – the idea that it takes at least 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to master a skill. Based on research by Dr. K. Anders Ericsson, the “rule” is valid, as far as it goes. If you want to step on a golf course and seriously compete with Tiger Woods, that’s what you’re in for.

Here’s the problem with the “10,000 hour rule”: it doesn’t apply to the types of skill acquisition most people undertake. Aside from competitors in very narrow, ultra-competitive performance fields like sports, chess, and music, it’s way more common for people to decide to learn something for certain benefits: business success, personal interest, or enjoyment. You and I are playing a different game, so we can play by different rules.

In my new book, The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything Fast, I explain how you can learn any new skill in less than 20 hours of deliberate practice – that’s around 45 minutes a day for about a month. Here are a few tips for how to structure those 20 hours:

Decide What You Want

Most people have a very fuzzy idea of what they want to be able to do. Setting a “target performance level” helps you focus on practicing in a way that will help you get better results immediately. Targets like “learn to speak Italian” aren’t enough: think “book hotels and order meals in Italian while traveling” instead. The more specific and concrete your target is, the more useful it will be.

Deconstruct

Most of skills we think of are actually comprised of smaller skills. For maximum efficiency, break the new skill apart and practice the most important sub-skills first. For example, you can learn to play hundreds of chords on a guitar or piano, but you can play the most of songs using only 3-6 common chords, so learn the most-often-used chords first.

Unplug

As a society, we are excellent at filling our days with distractions. Between phones, computers, television, and the internet, it’s difficult to find time and attention to concentrate. Use a bit of willpower to eliminate these barriers to practice and you’ll greatly increase the likelihood of actually sitting down and dedicating focused time to practicing. Make a conscious effort to turn off your phone, close the computer, and focus singularly on the skill in front of you.

Self-Correct

A bit of research will help you to identify and correct missteps as you practice, As you practice, you’ll get better at noticing when you’re making a mistake, allowing you to correct it. Find 3 to 5 resources about what you want to learn, and browse them quickly, looking for important ideas, terms, and techniques. But be wary; research can quickly become a sneaky form of procrastination. Research just enough to jump in and get your hands dirty, then sit down to practice.

Practice For At Least 20 Hours

The biggest barrier to skill acquisition is emotional, not psychological. By setting an attainable goal of 20 hours, you are committing to pushing through any initial feelings of frustration or incompetence. Pre-committing before you start makes it more likely you’ll persist long enough to get results.

There’s no substitute for focused, deliberate practice, but these principles can help you get the best results from the time you invest. Decide what you want to be able to do, do a bit of research, remove barriers, make time for practice, and jump in.

Any of you that have ever hired a lawyer know that if you really want to screw up one of your business deals, a potential litigation issue or the future planning of your business, all you need to do is hire the wrong lawyer.

Too many entrepreneurs go into the selection process with the wrong pre-conceived notions and set of qualifications for the next critical member of their team. The decision to hire the correct lawyer should be considered carefully and using realist criteria.

Here are four of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make when choosing a lawyer:

1. Hiring a Jack of all trades. This is a mistake that even the experienced business owner will make. As many of us know, there are all sorts of specialists in the medical profession and the same thing applies to the law. If you are doing business or tax planning, use a business lawyer and get your CPA in the mix as well. If you have a fight brewing, consult with a litigation attorney. A general attorney or advisor can play ‘’quarterback’’ and give you sound advice, but when it’’s time to get into the details, use a specialist.

2. Choosing the cheapest lawyer you can find. This is a classic strategy that will ultimately cost you more in the long run after you find the right attorney. You may think you are saving money in the first or second meeting with that low hourly rate or a flat fee promise that rivals an online service with unlimited legal consulting. But this attorney will cost you a lot more with misdirection, and wasted time and money. Remember the old adage: “You get what you pay for”. This applies with the law as well.

3. Paying a big retainer up front without a second opinion. This is a dangerous mistake and can be very difficult to undo and get your money back. A lot of entrepreneurs never get a second opinion and out of fear or intimidation, make a rash decision. There are many honest and skilled lawyers out there who can take a smaller retainer up front and bill as they go. If the amount they are asking for makes you feel uncomfortable, heed that prompting and interview some other lawyers before making a decision.

4. If it sound too good to be true, it probably is. We’d all rather hear how incredible our case or project is and how it’s the “perfect slam dunk.” However, nothing is always clear-cut and if a lawyer is sugar coating it you should be able to tell. Be careful when your lawyer doesn’t speak realistically about your own situation and the mistakes and problems you are facing. Don’t let yourself get pummeled in court. Lawyers can overpromise and under-deliver.

Consider taking recommendations from others who have already found affordable lawyers specializing in your area of expertise.

If you have a bad experience hiring the wrong lawyer, don’t give up interviewing and networking with others to find the right advisor. Just like in every profession, there are winners and losers. Sometimes it take a little work to find the winners, but it is certainly worth it in the end.

If you had to describe your job in 5 words, what would they be?

The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.

10. Bringing People Together

No matter how ambitious you are and how much you want to succeed, weekends are that sacred time when you get to leave your business alone and spend time relaxing and enjoying yourself. The trouble is as an entrepreneur it is difficult to just shut off from work. Unlike many employees who can turn off their work mind along with their computer on a Friday evening, instead your mind is still on your business.

If you do have trouble unwinding over the weekend then here are some tips to making the most of these two days that will also help your business succeed:

Exercise

It might be tempting to forego exercising during the weekend, especially if you’re not really into keeping fit, however finding some time to exercise will help to keep your energy levels up and keep you in good general health. Exercising at the weekend is especially important if you struggle to fit it in during the week, as it will give you the chance to fit in a longer, more focused workout.

If the thought of spending your weekend in the gym sweating alongside fitness fanatics a bit boring, try to find an alternative exercise you enjoy. Consider heading outdoors for a long hike or bike ride. Alternatively, if you prefer something a bit different perhaps take up climbing or surfing. If you would rather do something more social, how about joining a sports team?

Socialise

Being an entrepreneur can be lonely, especially if you are working entirely on your own. Long hours of having practically no interaction with other people can begin to take its toll and can create feelings of loneliness and isolation. In addition to this, often when friends are heading for after work drinks, meals or trips to the cinema you will instead need to stay at home working on your business.

This is why it is important to use your weekends to socialise. Spend time with your family and friends, even if it is just meeting up for a coffee. This will help you to take a break from your business, relax and connect with those close to you.

Sleep

As a young business owner you have the advantage of being able to survive on little sleep, however everyone is capable of getting burn-out, no matter their age. If you find yourself getting less than seven hours sleep a night use your weekend to catch up on your sleep. Although it is not a long-term alternative to a regular solid sleep pattern, it will help your body and mind to recover and re-energise ready for the week ahead. Getting to bed at a decent time on Sunday will also help to set you up for the week.

Get outdoors

Most business owners are office bound and can spend long hours stuck indoors. This is even worse if you are working from home or commute to and from the office by car, as it means you are spending even less time outside. If this sounds familiar, use your weekend as a time to get outdoors. Whether it is going for a run or just a short walk, spending time outside will help to improve your energy levels, refresh your mind and enhance your creativity.

Work

It is unrealistic to say you are not going to do any work over the weekend, however if you do need to do so it is a good idea to pre-plan how many hours you are going to work before you start. Working to a set time-frame, rather than a task list, will stop you from spending your entire day working.

Written by Derin Clark on behalf of Octopus HR, a company that provides online HR software for business owners.

I founded Elevatr because everyone has great business ideas, but not everyone knows how to turn those ideas into businesses. Our first product, an iOS app that guides raw ideas into concise business plans, launched in May, was featured on the App Store, and now has more than 70,000 users.

A few weeks ago, Akiva Lipshitz, a 13 year old heading into 8th grade, emailed me to ask for an internship with Elevatr. He said he’d love nothing more than to meet the team and contribute in some way to the company that created his favorite app. We said yes because Akiva validates everything that we’re doing with Elevatr: There are more and more aspiring entrepreneurs seeking help everyday who we’d love to help out.

Akiva interned for us on July 8 and his task was to translate the app into Hebrew (he did a great job). We spent the rest of the time talking about his ideas and my entrepreneurial experiences. I know Akiva learned a lot from us that day, but I think we learned just as much from him. Here are some lessons we learned by hiring the 13 year old ideasmith.

Internet entrepreneurship doesn’t have an age requirement.

Akiva may only be 13, but he has the passion and savvy of an entrepreneur twice his age. With nearly unlimited information available to everyone at their fingertips, anyone, even children, can be in tune with the markets. Akiva knew what was going on and picked my brain for first-hand advice. It’s great to see younger generations making use of the Internet rather than taking its power for granted.

Startup founders are to younger generations what rock stars were to older generations.

While our parents had Beatlemania, todays generation of kids have startup founders. Akiva may be the exception rather than the rule, but he is fascinated with meeting founders. He constantly reaches out to companies he’s interested in to see if he can spend some time talking with them. This 13 year old was talking about famous founders as if they were Michael Jordan or Mick Jagger. It shows how the times are changing and that startup founders can be celebrities without even knowing it.

Startups are safer than corporations.

Something happened during the recession of 2009 that showed people that traditional corporations aren’t as safe as we once thought. Subconsciously we reacted by wanting to create our own startups. Now, these kids have grown up through the rough economy and are raised thinking that corporate jobs aren’t safe. This is changing the way of thinking for many young people like Akiva who are seeing more ideas turning into businesses than ever before. The business landscape is evolving.

With a little bravado, you can connect with anyone.

Saying I was shocked by Akiva’s bravado would be an understatement. How many of us would have had the courage to reach out to a young CEO and ask for a chance to meet and work with them? It should be motivation for anyone hesitant to reach out to an investor, business partner, or media outlet. Take the chance and see what comes of it, a little bravado can take you a long way. Like Akiva told me when I asked him if he was afraid of being rejected, he said, “the worst they could say is ‘no’.”

Anyone can create a successful business if they make moves one step at a time.

One thing a lot of entrepreneurs are guilty of, and Akiva was no exception, is being overzealous with planning. He wanted to build his entire vision at one time. After talking with him and further breaking it down, he began to understand that it was important to take things one step at a time. I suggested that he build something small just to get started. This would help validate his idea and vision and allow him to evolve it over time. That’s exactly what he’s done by creating a Tumblr account.

Ultimately, entrepreneurship is everywhere. It expands across multiple generations and is always evolving. I can’t wait to see what ideas Akiva and his peers turn into businesses.

David Spiro graduated from the University of Michigan Business School and College of Engineering in 2012 where he became the first undergraduate to receive the Award for Excellence in Entrepreneurship. He played baseball for Michigan, loves to chat about quantum consciousness, and is a startup lifer.

Are you coming to the end of your university course and wondering what to do next? It’s become a much more popular option for large numbers of graduates, but why would you start your own business?

1 Unemployment is high…

First for the gloomy stuff. According to The Guardian, at the end of 2011, 18.9% of those who graduated in the previous two years were unemployed. Admittedly, this was lower than the beginning of 2010 when the figure peaked at 20.7%, but it’s still more than four-times higher than those graduating four to six years ago. So there are no guarantees you’ll find a job, let alone a job you want. Starting your own business could be the best way to avoid unemployment for some graduates.

2 Competition for good jobs is tough…

Also, according to The Guardian, graduates are now “having to settle for low-skilled jobs more than used to be the case. In the last quarter of 2011, more than one-in-three of those graduating in the last six years were in low-skilled roles.” In 2001 this figure was almost 10% lower. Starting your own business could be the best way to avoid ending up in a humdrum job that doesn’t make best use of your skills or education.

3 You dream of riches…

There are no guarantees, and you might earn less – or little or nothing – by working for yourself. However, running your own business could provide you with more income. So what are you likely to earn working for someone else? First-job graduates earn £15.18 per hour, on average (source: The Guardian). Science graduates doing medicine and dentistry-related jobs earn the most (£21.29 per hour); while first-job humanities graduates pick up £14.63 an hour and arts graduates earn £12.06 per hour (all figures before tax in 2011).

4 You dream of fame…

Many young entrepreneurs now enjoy celebrity status. One example is Richard Reed, who co-founded Innocent Drinks in 1999 with fellow Cambridge University graduates Adam Balon and Jon Wright. Reed studied Geography at St John’s College and then worked in advertising for four years. The three friends started off selling wholesome smoothies from a stall at a London music festival in 1998. Now partly owned by Coca Cola, Innocent sells more than two million smoothies a week, has some 250 employees and turns over £100m-plus a year. Reed is a regular on business TV programmes and is one of the UK’s best-known business people.

5 You want greater flexibility…

Don’t fancy early mornings? Want to pick which days you work? Much will depend on the type of business you start, but working for yourself could grant you much more flexibility to live life your way (including possibly starting your working day a bit later!). That flexibility is unlikely to exist working full-time for someone else. Running your own business might even enable you to work from home or another location of your choice.

6 You want to be your own boss…

Don’t want someone else telling you what to do? Perhaps you’d rather call the shots and decide your own destiny? Fair enough, but with power comes responsibility, which meansyou must make your business a success. Do you really have what it takes? And running your own business can be a lonely, erm, business. It’s not for everyone, but if you succeed, the rewards and sense of satisfaction can be much greater.

7 You have a great idea…

One of the best reasons for starting your own business is coming up with a great idea. Great business ideas come from many places, for example, you might spot a gap in the market or seek to earn a living from one of your passions. You and your university friends may have thought of a good business idea. You’ll still need to test your business idea before starting up, and you’ll still need to work hard, show desire and commitment and get your share of luck.

8 You want excitement…

There’s no doubt about it, starting your own business and growing it into a larger, more successful enterprise is a great challenge and there’s an element of risk, but this can be a source of great excitement. Working for yourself involves highs and lows, so you really need to carefully consider whether running a business is for you. It can be unpredictable, too. Some days you might question why you ever started your own business and on others you might think it’s one of the best decisions you’ve ever made.

Ministry of Supply launched in June 2012 to immediate fanfare- garnering 4,000 customers and selling 6,000 dress shirts in our first month. At the time, one of our co-founders, Kit Hickey, described the company as, “an adolescent trapped in a baby’s body, and we had to learn how to sprint before we could learn how to walk.”

Fast-forward one year, and today our company is the proud parent of four beautiful products, with a fifth on the way. The ATLAS performance dress sock is the most technologically advanced and sustainable product we have released to date. Its Kickstarter campaign, that ended recently, raised twice its goal in only 24 hours. So how does the game change between the first and fifth child of a company? Kit wrote an article for Forbes a few months ago entitled “5 Lessons From Managing Our Startup’s Rapid Growth.” Since seven seems like a lucky number, I want to talk about the “7 Lessons for Sustaining Our Startup’s Rapid Growth”

1. Be Thirsty: Keep Learning And Moving.

My father was my high school hockey coach, and he used to have a saying, “Get a little piss and vinegar in your veins when you’re on the ice.” It may not be the most eloquent quote, but it gets the point across. Be thirsty for the next sale, be thirsty for the next investor pitch, be thirsty for the next chance to “wow” someone. But also, don’t get tunnel vision because of this thirst. Be open and learn along the way. The more you go after opportunities and keep moving, the more you learn, the more you fail, and ultimately, the more you succeed.

2. Build Community Through Empathy.

A company is nothing without its customers. Nothing is more important than understanding the woes of a customer, relating with them, and trying to help them out if something goes wrong. Recently, we had a customer email us saying his wedding was coming up soon, and he wanted to buy a CORE undershirt to stay dry and comfortable, but our website showed the item was out-of-stock in his size. So we sent him two of a different size, for free, along with a handwritten note saying these were a wedding present from us. Building a startup isn’t just about profit-loss and customer conversion, it’s about being human and building a community around the products you are passionate about and the values your company holds true.

3. Create Through Design Thinking.

Design Thinking is like the Scientific Method of Product Development. Identify a problem, brainstorm all possible solutions, refine your solutions, and then act on your information. Whether designing enterprise resource planning software or a luxury watch, design thinking asks you to critically analyze exactly what you want to accomplish and use a combination of artistic and scientific thinking to develop an amazing product. Steve Jobs had a quote, “Design is a funny word. Some people think design means who it looks. But, of course, if you dig deeper, it’s really how it works.” This mindset builds great products.

4. Be Confident.

It’s hard to define beauty. Is it the Golden ratio? Is it an Apple product? Maybe it comes to down to Justice Potter Stewart’s “I know it when I see it,” (although he wasn’t referring to beauty…). Regardless of how it’s defined, as a fashion company, we are striving for it and we have to be confident in our tastes. It doesn’t matter if Ministry of Supply clothing keeps your body cool, is forever wrinkle-free, or can make you a grilled cheese sandwich if it doesn’t look like stylish clothing that you would feel proud to wear. There are always times of doubt when we wonder “will customers buy this product?” or “Is developing this product a waste of time and resources?” We are all human, and these feelings are natural. Having the self-confidence and conviction to push through the doubt and believe in your abilities will be one of the best qualities you can acquire.

5. Promote An Active Lifestyle.

Promote the lifestyle your brand is built upon. Our apparel is built for an active lifestyle, so we need to be promoting one, or else we become hypocrites. Our belief is that when the body is active, the mind will stay active, too. We challenge ourselves to be active and be our best, even when going on company retreats. Our most memorable retreat included hiking and winter camping in negative degree temperatures, which is certainly no cakewalk along the beach. We want our customers to feel their best and our employees to be their best at all times.

6. Innovate Through Technology.

MIT is our heritage, NASA is our inspiration, and we are changing the way people view their clothing by infusing technology into everything we make. We use thermal imaging, strain analysis, and pressure mapping (processes usually reserved for industries like aerospace and automobile) to ensure our new ATLAS dress socks have the optimal balance of ventilation, durability, and comfort. Innovation doesn’t require a brand new, novel idea. Innovation is about finding new uses for existing technology and making something new and better as a result.

7. Be A Champion.

Yes winning is important, but this isn’t the type of champion I am talking about. There are nine members of our team, and we all champion different areas of the business. Gihan Amarasiriwardena, co-founder and engineer by trade,specializes on product development and new technologies, while AC Ingersoll works tirelessly on social media and marketing communications. Nonetheless, this doesn’t stop Gihan from suggesting a funny idea for a Facebook post, or AC from brainstorming new product features. Be a champion of what you do, but don’t put up fences based on job titles and company tenure. Champions are team players, they better everyone around them, and they attract talent.

BONUS LESSON: Focus.

This one isn’t rocket science (even though our APOLLO dress shirt does use some of that…). Set goals, accomplish goals, set new goals. Know your core strengths, know your core market, and know what you do not know. Concentrate on how to best grow your company, and don’t be distracted when issues arise. Deal with problems in stride, and stay on the course to success.

Global Property Guide– Property sales are soaring in Scotland, up over 8% in the last quarter but prices are down 0.3%, according to the latest official figures from the Registers of Scotland.

The total volume of sales across Scotland from April to June increased by 8.1% compared to the same period one year ago. This has been consistent with the previous two quarters, with Registers of Scotland figures now showing a gradual sales volume increase over the previous nine months.

All property types showed an increase in sales volumes with Flats showing the biggest increase in sales volumes by 16.5%.

‘It’s extremely positive to see an upturn in the market with sales volumes increasing by 8.1% over the past three months. There have been some areas that have experienced a decrease, but with the total value of sales increasing by 7.7% compared to the previous year, it’s an encouraging indicator of improvements in the residential property market,’ said Registers of Scotland’s director of commercial services, Kenny Crawford.

And although prices have fallen overall, he pointed out that across Scotland some areas are experiencing significant price increases. In particular, Aberdeenshire is performing well, with an average price of £215,589, this is a 5.6% rise from the same period a year ago. East Renfrewshire recorded the highest percentage price rise of 6.2%. However, prices in Argyll and Bute have experienced a drop of 11.9%.

Detached, semi detached and terraced properties all showed a decrease in average price with terraced properties showing the biggest decrease at 2.9%. The average price for flats remained the same as last year’s quarter. Nevertheless, the average price of a residential property this quarter was £153,102 which is a decrease when compared with last year’s figures.

Independent property consultancy, CKD Galbraith, said believes there is a real indication of improved confidence in the Scottish property market. ‘As a firm we have experienced heightening confidence in the Scottish property market with the volume of sales agreed being up 30% on the same period last year and double the number of viewings being conducted this quarter since the first quarter of 2013,’ said Simon Brown, head of residential property at CKD Galbraith.

‘There have been further encouraging signs this summer with the competitive closing date system making a comeback across the country and in particular in Edinburgh, Perthshire and Ayrshire, where a number of properties quickly achieved over asking prices,’ he explained.

‘With a positive approach and sensible pricing we have seen more stability and confidence throughout the country this year. Both buyers and sellers appear to be comfortable with where the market currently stands,’ he added.

CKD Galbraith’s sales teams operating across the whole of Scotland handled in excess of £400 million worth of property in the 2012/2013 financial year ranging from cottages and conversions to country houses, farms and estates.

When it comes to wasting time in front of a computer, I’m a triple black belt.
Over the last 4 years of working for myself, I’ve wasted not just hours or even days in front of a computer, but weeks, if not months.
I’ve got entrepreneurs ADD in the worst way possible. Focus has always been a challenge for me, so I’m actually pretty amazed I’ve been able to get as much done with my business as I have.
I’ve thought many times about getting medication for this, and many people I know, and even good friends of mine have had major positive changes going this route.
But I’ve always felt there should be a better way.
I’ve tried accountability groups, productivity apps, and all sorts of other gimmicks for getting more stuff done, but on their own, nothing seemed to work.
Recently I spent some time reviewing and considering what’s important to me in life. I’m a lifestyle entrepreneur, my whole goal with my businesses is to give me more time to do the things I want to do – yet I often find that all I’m doing is spending more time at my computer in a desperate attempt at being productive.
You see our whole lives we’ve had the idea of a 9 to 5 workday ingrained in us. 4 years of entrepreneurship later, and that still hasn’t completely gone away. In fact, it’s gotten worse in someways. Now instead of 9 to 5, it’s more like 6 am to midnight.
There’s always something you could be doing, so there are times I feel that work never really shuts off for me. A big part of this problem is that when I’m actively working, I’m not getting as much done as I should.
It’s kind of like how in a day job where you’re underworked, you drag things out to fill out the day. I do a similar thing, except because I have so much to do, I often get paralyzed into inaction and do nothing instead.
It was this recent re-evaluation that led me to try an experiment.
I told myself, what if I were to only allowed to work until noon everyday?
The hypothesis was I could get twice as much done as an average work day, in half the time.
The results have surprised even me.

We’re always scouring the web for new resources and tools to help your career, including this fantastic piece from Boundless, an infographic titled “12 College Experiences Your Resume Needs”…

A few notes:

1. In your Freshman year, you’ll be tempted to party, skip classes and do the very minimum you have to do to get by. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t enjoy college. You should. Like Uncle Ben told Peter Parker, “with great power comes great responsibility.” Be responsible. Join a club. My recommendation? Join Enactus on campus. You’ll gain some serious “on the ground” experience, have access to an AWESOME corporate network (remember, you want to get a job when you graduate) and you get to enable human progress.

2. I say that leaders aren’t born. They’re made. It takes a lot to become a leader. Figure out what you’re passionate about, take a risk and volunteer to lead. Whether it’s part of a club, Student Government or simply leading a class project, you’ll gain some fantastic experience. It’s okay to follow as well. Leaders need followers. Which one will YOU be?

3. You can always learn something from guest speakers. Be curious. Have an open mind. Just because Joe the Garbage Man is tonight’s guest speaker doesn’t mean you won’t learn anything. I’ve met Joe before. He’s pretty awesome.

4. This is part of being a leader (see #2.) Build your leadership profile on campus. There are lots of options!

5. Intern, intern, intern. The BIG companies might not be hiring Freshmen and Sophomores, BUT local companies typically are. Use your time wisely. Learn how an company operates from the inside, what you’re good at and what you’re not so great at…it’s all part of the experience. When you’re done, the internship experience should help you make better choices when you’re ready to work full-time. You know, that way you don’t get hired and say to yourself “WHAT WAS I THINKING?” You’ll know because as an intern, you’ve already figured out the hard part.

6. Speak only 1 language? Congratulations. So do the majority of the people on the planet. Set yourself apart and learn a new language. I’d suggest Spanish, French, German or Mandarin Chinese. PS. I’m currently learning Spanish through Rosetta Stone – it’s a lot easier than I thought it would be!

7. IT is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Coders will rule the world. That’s what everyone is saying anyway. When you pick your major, think about the future. I love English Literature, but there’s not a whole lot you can do in the real world with that major. Think broader and look into science, technology, engineering or mathematics. In a few years, you might be glad you did!

8. Get on LinkedIn. NOW. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200. A digital presence is becoming more and more important these days and believe it or not, employers don’t really care about your Facebook profile, MySpace (yes – it’s back) or Twitter profile. LinkedIn is different. Every Fortune 500 CEO is on LinkedIn. This is NOT something you want to wait to do until you have that first job. Be proactive. Start your LinkedIn profile today. Add in your leadership and work experience as you gain it. Connect with classmates, coworkers, mentors and those in and outside of your industry of preference.

9. In the global economy, it’s important to learn about different cultures. The best way to experience them is through travel. If you have the chance to study abroad, even better. Remember, that major of International Business doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re going to work overseas.